Out and About
by BananaPeaceMonkeyKarmi
Summary: She waited a moment before saying it. "I've been in love with you ever since . . . ever since you helped me up that day." Clifa fluff


HHHEEEELLLLLOOOOO!!  
Once again, I am bored. So, I will be writing another one-shot.  
Hope you guys like it!

* * *

"Come on Tifa! The guys are here!"

Tifa Lockhart raced down the stairs, nearly tripping several times over her dark blue kimono. It has light blue, almost shiny looking butterflies around it, with a pink bow tied around the back. When she reached the bottom floor, she saw her sister, Aerith Gainsborough, standing near the door. She was wearing a yellow kimono with a green bow tied around the back.

Now, why do they have different last names? Well, for one, Tifa and Aerith aren't really sisters. They more like really close friends who just live together. But, they are so close, they call each other by that affectionate title.

Even though they are close, both are very different from each other in looks and personality. Aerith has chesnut brown hair the falls gracefully down her back and deep green eyes. She is flirty and outgoing, and always says what's on her mind. Tifa, on the other hand, has dark brown hair and brown eyes that sparkle a slight tint of red when she is extremely happy, immensely angry, or exceedingly sad. She is also very reserved and has trouble with explaining things that are very important to her.

Like her feelings for her best guy friend, Cloud Strife. He has always been in her life, ever since she was about five. He was walking through the park when she first met him.

* * *

_A little girl with dark brown hair was sitting by a tree, crying. She was suddenly stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder._

_"Hi. Why are you crying? You shouldn't be crying. You should be happy, because we're in a park!"_

_She looked up to see deep blue eyes and a welcoming smile. The little boy had yellow hair that stuck out everywhere. It made her giggle and he smiled wider._

_"Well . . . I don't know where my daddy is. I'm lost. I can't find him." She sniffled._

_"How about I help you find him?"_

_"Okay." She took his outstretched hand and he helped her get up._

_"My name is Cloud. What's yours?" he asked as they searched._

_"My . . . my name is Tifa." She looked to her left and pointed. "There he is! Daddy!" Running over to the man, Cloud followed her. When they reached him, the older man picked up the little girl, placing her on his shoulders. "Daddy, this is Cloud. He helped me find you. Can I be his friend?"_

_The boy smiled with pride. He didn't have many friends around, other than his brother Zack. They were pretty much town outkasts. But the little girl didn't know that, because she was only five years old. But her dad knew. And the look on his face made Cloud's smile falter._

_"Tifa, I don't think that would be a good-"_

_"Oh, Daddy please? He was very nice to me. He helped me get up when I was crying, and he helped me find you. I think Cloud is a very nice person."_

_The man only hhmphed and walked away. Tifa turned her head and yelled, "See you later Cloud!"_

_They were friends ever since then.

* * *

_Tifa looked in the mirror one last time at her hair. It was securely tied in the back with a red ribbon in a bun, but her bangs and some of her hair was still out. She sighed and followed Aerith outside.

As soon as she stepped foot away from the door, her insecurities built up. In that instant, a man with blonde hair sticking out in all directions was looking at her. He had on a blue shirt and dark blue pants. Him and his brother could almost be considered matching. Zack was wearing a darker blue shirt, but with dark blue pants as well. But, even then, Cloud and Zack were different from each other, too.

Cloud was one who wouldn't really say much. He talked to people he chose to talk to. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. His brother was a lot different. He talked to just about everyone. He also had an unyielding sense of humor. He also had violet eyes and black, spiky hair. Cloud did, too, he just didn't use it much. They both, however, were very caring about the people around and close to them.

He walked up to Tifa while Zack and Aerith shared a brief kiss. They had been dating for quite a while now, but Cloud had yet to find someone for him. The brunette blushed slightly as he held out a hand to her. "Good evening Tifa."

"Same to you. Where are we going tonight?" She took his hand and the four of them started off west.

* * *

About five minutes later, they approached a festival. The women gasped in awe, while the men gave each other nodding glances.

"Come on Aeri. Let's go over here." Zack led them off, leaving Cloud and Tifa alone.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Tifa was looking down at the ground, shuffling her feet. She looked up at Cloud, searching his blue orbs. "Well, I don't really know. How about we walk around, and I'll think about it." He nodded and they were off.

The two of them didn't really do anything but talk. Cloud bought her a necklace with a silver chain and a heart pendent. It cost him some room in his pocket, so he knew it wasn't fake. The most they did was probably watch a wrestling tournament. Cloud decided to join it.

"Are you sure?" Tifa asked him. She didn't want him to get hurt.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Teef." He slid out of his shirt and handed it to her. She took it, clutching it tightly to her chest.

It was all over in about three minutes. The champion was a big, burly man, and Cloud was small and agile. He used his speed to his ability, and won. For his prize, he picked a big, fluffy panda bear. When Tifa asked him why he wanted that, he handed it to her. Her blush deepened.

After that, though, Cloud found himself hungry. "Want to eat?" She nodded and he led her over to a small ramen booth. They had their food in about ten minutes, and sat down at a table nearby.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Mm-hmm," was his reply. She was slurping noodles from her chopsticks and couldn't really talk at the moment. He laughed when one slapped her in the face, flinging the soupy mixture onto her cheeks. She hastily grabbed for a napkin, but Cloud already had one. He reached across the table, lightly dabbing the hit places. When he was done, Tifa replied with a mumbled "Thank you."

"You're welcome." They sat there and ate in silence for the rest of the time.

When they were done, the walking continued. Soon, they approached a cotton candy stand.

"Want some?"

"No, you've been spending your money on me all night."

Cloud shook his head. "That's what I'm here to do." She smiled and he left her. When he came back, there was a large mass of feathery goodness on a stick. She took it from him, and ate a bite.

They walked for a few more minutes, passing by Aerith and Zack at a vendor booth. Cloud looked over at Tifa for a minute and she looked up at him. At that moment, fireworks errupted in the night sky. She jumped, startled by the sudden explosion, and he held her close to him. She clasped onto his shirt and watched as the bright lights brought happiness to everyone around.

Before she knew it, a big chunk of her cotton candy was gone. She looked up to see Cloud chewing slightly. "Hey!" He chuckled and grabbed a handful, stuffing it in her mouth. She stepped away as the fluffiness of it melted in her mouth. A rock grabbed hold of her sandal, making her topple over. She grabbed a fistful of Cloud's sleeve and her fell over with her, accompanied by a ripping sound.

She looked up and saw a blue piece of cloth in her hand. Looking over at Cloud's sleeve, she saw that it was jagged. Then she looked straight up. He was positioned on top of her and she said, "I'm sorry-" She was stopped by his warm lips on top of hers.

It took him a minute to realize what he was doing. Cloud hastily pulled away and helped Tifa up. She brushed off her kimono and wiped her eyes. Then she reached over to his other sleeve and tugged at it. It became jagged as well. "There. Now they match."

Cloud laughed and ran in front of her. "What's wrong? Was it what I did? I'm sorry alright. It's just that . . . well, it's hard for me to control myself."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?!"

"Because . . . I've been in love with you ever since you asked to be my friend."

She stopped for a minute. Cloud . . . loved her? She couldn't comprehend it fully yet, so he just held her close again.

"Hey Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

She waited a moment before saying it.

"I've been in love with you ever since . . . ever since you helped me up that day."

* * *

Isn't it sweet?  
If you're wondering where the inspiration for this came from, just check my profile. The answer is so obvious that you won't see it until after a while.


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